Top Examples of Business Automation: Improve Your Practices

Business Automation

If you are looking for a way to put your business in a position to be successful, you must make sure that you take care of your most valuable resources. In the current environment, your most valuable resource is your time. You must make sure you get as much use out of it as possible, and you need to make sure you protect the time of your employees as well. One of the ways you can do so is through business automation.

Even though a lot of people talk about business automation, a lot of business leaders are reluctant to implement automated practices. After all, you have probably been successful by following a standard formula during the past few years. Therefore, it might be beneficial to take a closer look at how automation might be able to improve your business.

1. Automate Your Approval Requests

You probably have a finance department that is responsible for dealing with various approval requests. It can take a long time for you to sit through all of those requests by hand, so you need to automate the process when you can. You can start by automating the distribution process, making sure the requests go to the right person in each department. Then, you may want to automate the signature process as well, which can help you save even more time.

2. Automate Your Scheduling System

Do you have a manager who is responsible for approving all changes to the scheduling system? If so, it is probably time for you to modernize this system by automating it. There are programs that can help you automatically schedule your employees, making sure you have the right number and type of employees available at all times. You might even be able to use this system to automate schedule change requests, so take a look at the programs that are available, and find one that is best for your company.

3. Automate Your Accounts Payable

Today, with numerous vendors and supply chains being stretched to their limits, it is critical to make sure your accounts payable are as smooth as possible. That is where a strong AP automation system comes in handy. For example, you may want to find a setting that will automatically pay your vendors as soon as the requests are approved by the internal department. You should also have a system that will make sure the right department receives each request, as you want to make sure the department familiar with the purchase is the one evaluating the request for payment. You might even want to have a system in place that will automatically pay each vendor using his or her preferred method. If you can automate the AP process, you can keep your suppliers happy, which will keep your company’s orders on track.

4. Automate Your Email System

You probably focus on digital marketing as a part of your advertising strategy. After all, the vast majority of people use the internet when they are looking for something they need, so you need to make sure you have a digital marketing system in place that takes advantage of that. Email drip campaigns can be particularly effective in the B2B world, so consider automating your email system. Then, when someone responds to one of your emails, you can direct it to a person in the proper department who can send a personalized response.

5. Automate Your Onboarding Process

Do you still have someone standing at the front of the room training your new employees? If so, it is time for you to automate the onboarding process. Your training process should be digital. You should not have to ask the manager or employee to stand at the front of the room and lecture to a bunch of new hires. You might want to consider putting together a software program that can help you put your employees through training as quickly as possible. That way, they know what they need to do their jobs, and they can work through the training program at their own pace. Take a look at how you can automate the onboarding process and streamline your employee training.

Get the Most Out of Business Automation

Ultimately, these are just a few of the many examples of how business automation might be able to totally transform the way you run your company. Think about how much you could do if you had an extra hour in the day. You must make sure you maximize your time, and automation can help you do that. There are different types of automation out there, and you need to figure out which ones are most applicable to your company. Do not hesitate to reach out to a professional who can help you maximize the benefits of business automation.